1989 RUF CTR YellowBird

Background

In 1987, RUF Automobile in Germany unveiled the radical new CTR, its vision of the ultimate 911-based performance car. RUF based its CTR on the standard, narrow-bodied 911 Carrera 3.2 to keep weight and aerodynamic drag to a minimum. The CTR was powered by a 3.4-liter air-cooled flat six engine, featuring twin turbochargers, twin intercoolers, and an early version of Bosch Motronic fuel injection. Its powerful output was conservatively rated at 463 bhp at 5,960 rpm.

Road & Track Top Speed Shootout

RUF was put on the map in 1987 when its CTR was crowned the winner of Road & Track’s famed “World’s Fastest Cars” event, where it smoked the competition with a top speed of 211 mph. During this session, the CTR was nicknamed the “Yellowbird,” and the moniker has stuck ever since. In the nearly 40 years since its introduction, the Yellowbird’s lasting influence and legacy has only grown.

Rare Bird

This groundbreaking RUF model has been featured in virtually every motor magazine and countless books, articles, films, and video games – however, with only 29 produced in total, it is rare to see one of these original Yellowbirds out and about. Recognized the world over as the pinnacle of automotive excellence, the Yellowbird is one of the most iconic performance cars of the modern era, and among the most publicized automobiles in recent memory.

Chassis 026

The CTR offered here, chassis 026, is arguably the finest extant, presented in pristine original condition and showing less than 1,700 km from new. The 26th CTR built at RUF’s workshop in Pfaffenhausen, it is one of just nine Yellowbirds originally finished in the model’s definitive Blutengelb, or Blossom Yellow, livery. It was also specified in the most desirable Leichtbau (Lightweight) configuration, and equipped with an integrated Matter aluminum roll cage, Recaro lightweight “club sport” seats, and optioned with RUF’s proprietary six-speed manual gearbox.

Upon completion, 026 was delivered to its first owner, and remained in a private collection based in Germany. Over the next 30 years, 026 was kept in a climate-controlled facility, driven only sparingly. In 2020, the CTR was sold to the current American owner, a gentleman whose ethos as a collector can be succinctly summarized as “the best of the best.” Since his acquisition of the car, the CTR has not been driven nor publicly exhibited, instead being meticulously cared for on a regular maintenance schedule.

Lowest mileage CTR

In all respects, this Yellowbird is a benchmark setting, time-capsule example retaining its factory-applied paint and interior finishes, identification plates, and serial-numbered components. It comes with important accessories and spares, its RUF Zertifikat, a copy of the original invoice, books, and tools. As the lowest mileage CTR known to exist, Yellowbird chassis 026 stands as a textbook example of the ultimate late 1980s tuner sports car, in virtually as-new condition.